Musky perfumes

What is a musky perfume?

A musky perfume is one in which musk leads the composition. The name comes from a raw material with a very ancient history, the musk of the musk deer, long used in perfumery as a fixative. Today that musk has all but disappeared from perfumery: the musk deer is protected by CITES, the convention on international trade in endangered species, and almost all the musk in perfumery is synthetic.

In its place, since the late 19th century, chemistry has created a family of extraordinary molecules, able to tell the story of musk in a thousand ways: from the clean feel of freshly ironed linen to fruity notes, from the powderiness of iris to warm, sensual tones. In perfumery they are above all base notes and fixatives: they accompany the other ingredients, slow down their evaporation and make them last longer on the skin.

Animal, synthetic or plant-based?

The musk of perfumery has three different origins.

From the musk deer to the laboratory: the story of musky perfumes

Musk is one of the oldest materials in perfumery, and its modern story is also a story of chemistry. The main milestones:

1. The originsMusk has been sought after for centuries: according to CITES, the Arabs prized it for its scent and even mixed it into the mortar of mosques.
2. Late 19th centuryAlbert Baur, while looking for new explosives, discovers nitro musks by chance; among them is Musk Ketone, the closest to natural musk.
3. 1906The German chemist Heinrich Walbaum isolates muscone, the emblematic molecule of animal musk.
4. Mid-1920sLeopold Ruzicka, working with Naef & Co. of Geneva, today Firmenich, discovers that muscone and civetone have a single large ring of carbon atoms: 15 in muscone, 17 in civetone.
5. 1927Exaltolide, a macrocyclic musk of plant origin, is identified in angelica root oil.
6. 1939Ruzicka receives the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, together with Adolf Butenandt.
7. 1951Phantolide appears, the first polycyclic musk without nitro groups.
8. 1960sIFF creates Galaxolide, with the chemists Heeringa and Beets: a great commercial success.
9. 1975BASF presents Cyclomusk, the forerunner of a new class, the alicyclic musks.
10. 1978 and 1981Estée Lauder launches White Linen, whose original formula contains Galaxolide, and The Body Shop presents its White Musk.
11. Early 1990sFirmenich introduces Helvetolide, an alicyclic musk with a fruity facet.
12. 2003Narciso Rodriguez for her puts a heart of musk at its centre, which the house describes as the fragrance's iconic signature.
13. 2017Glossier launches You, a musky perfume with a base of ambrette and Ambrox.

Today niche perfumery takes musk in every direction: from the cleanest white musks to fruity, floral, powdery, woody and warm ones.

The raw materials of musky perfumes

warmsensualanimalic

It is the musk where it all began: the secretion of a gland of the male musk deer. It was prized in perfumes, and muscone, its most famous molecule, makes up only 0.5-2% of its grains. Today the musk deer is protected by CITES and animal musk has all but left the stage: perfumery has recreated its allure with synthetic musks, starting with Musk Ketone, the closest to natural musk.

cleanpowderyfruity

“White musk” is the name given to clean synthetic musks, each with its own character: Habanolide, woody and powdery, recalls hot-ironed linen; Helvetolide has a fruity, pear-like facet; Galaxolide, born at IFF in the 1960s, was a great commercial success.

Musky perfumes with white musk

muskypowderyfruity

It is a plant with yellow flowers and a dark centre, grown for its seeds, which naturally contain a musk compound, ambrettolide. Distilled, the seeds give a dense oil, ambrette butter, which once purified becomes an absolute: in the drydown it leaves a powdery, floral note reminiscent of orris. The seeds inspire Ambrettolide, a tenacious macrocyclic musk that lasts for more than 48 hours on a smelling strip.

muskyspicy

The roots are steam distilled. The oil contains small amounts of Exaltolide, a macrocyclic lactone, the same type of molecule as the macrocyclic musks: this is where its musky note comes from. It was in angelica root oil that this plant musk was identified, in 1927.

amberywoodydry

It is the molecule perfumery uses to create ambergris notes. In 1950 Firmenich discovered its chemical structure. It is traditionally made from the sclareol of clary sage; today Givaudan makes its own version, Ambrofix, from sugar cane: it is one of the most widely used biodegradable ingredients in perfumery.

Musky perfumes with Ambroxan

floralpowdery

It is the powdery soul of musky perfumes: Habanolide is a powdery musk, and the drydown of ambrette recalls orris itself. The rhizomes are dried, ground and distilled: this is how precious orris butter is made.

Musky perfumes with iris

spicymuskywoody

Created by John B. Hall for IFF between the late 1960s and the early 1970s, it has a spicy, musky and woody scent. At room temperature it is a white solid that melts at around 27 °C.

Musky perfumes with Cashmeran

The nuances of musky perfumes

Musk can be pure and clean, or it can meet fruit, flowers, iris and woods, all the way to its warmest face. From the cleanest to the warmest, here are its main faces:

In our collection the most frequent second families are floral and woody: to explore every nuance, use the fragrance family or note filters.

When to wear a musky perfume

Musky perfumes can be worn all year round, in every season. Choose the nuance that suits you, from the cleanest white musk to warm, sensual musk.

Longevity is one of their great strengths: musk settles slowly on the skin and stays there for a long time, together with the other notes. In our collection, alongside musk, sandalwood and vanilla often return in the base, iris, lily of the valley and jasmine in the heart, and bergamot and mandarin in the opening.

Why some people cannot smell musks

It happens, and it is perfectly normal: anosmia to musks is very widespread. Science has found one reason in the genes of our olfactory receptors. A study published in PLOS Genetics in 2022 showed that some variants of the OR4D6 receptor are linked to a weaker perception of Galaxolide; another, in PNAS in 2018, that different receptors respond to different musks: OR5AN1 to muscone and nitro musks, OR1A1 only to nitro musks.

If a musk seems to vanish on your skin, it often depends on the nose of the wearer: it is worth trying a musky perfume built on different molecules, and samples are the best way to do it.

Frequently asked questions

What is a musky perfume?
It is a perfume in which musk takes the lead: a soft base note that can be clean, powdery, fruity or warm. Today it is almost always built on synthetic musks, often combined with plant materials such as ambrette and angelica root.

Is the musk in perfumes of animal origin?
Hardly ever today. It originally came from the musk deer, which is protected by CITES today, and almost all the musk used in perfumery is synthetic. There are also plant musks, such as ambrette seeds and angelica root, which naturally contain molecules with a musky scent.

What is white musk?
It is the name given to the cleanest synthetic musks, such as Galaxolide, Habanolide and Helvetolide: soft, pure notes. Habanolide, for example, recalls freshly ironed linen.

Do musky perfumes last long?
Yes: musks are base notes and fixatives, they stay on the skin for a long time and help the other notes of the perfume last longer. Some molecules are especially tenacious: Ambrettolide lasts for more than 48 hours on a smelling strip.

Why can't I smell the musk in my perfume?
Many people are less sensitive to one or more musks, for genetic reasons linked to their olfactory receptors: trying different musky perfumes helps you find the one you perceive best on your skin.

What is the difference between musk and oakmoss?
They are two different materials with a similar name. Musk is the musky note born from the musk deer and recreated today with synthetic molecules or from plants such as ambrette and angelica root. Oakmoss is a lichen, Evernia prunastri, widely used in perfumery: in Italian the English words musk and moss are both translated as “muschio”, but they mean two different things.

Can I try a musky perfume before buying it?
Yes. With every order over €100 you receive 10 free samples, and you choose 5 of them yourself: it is the easiest way to discover a musky perfume on your skin before buying the bottle. If you are near Rome, you can try musky perfumes in person at our boutique in Nettuno.